Grateful Dead—Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY w/the New Riders of the Purple Sage, December 5, 1971

On March 8, 1971, New York City’s Felt Forum was home to what some folks claim to be the greatest fight of the century when Muhammad Ali lost a 15-round decision to smokin’ Joe Frazier. In the week leading up to the event, the Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage delivered a combination punch of their own to the fans who were lucky enough to find their butts in one of the 3500 seats in Madison Square Garden.

Of the four December dates at the venue, the second performance takes the cake. Broadcast on WNEW-FM, it’s another marathon show for the radio. This one swelled to 3 ½ hours of radio time and found the boys playing with the power and tenacity of a heavyweight bout. They come out swinging from the get-go with a rollicking Bertha, and the intensity is well represented by the fact that the band is out of tune halfway through the song. "I'll let you guys keep this," Bobby announces afterward to no evident meaning but plenty of guitars being tuned. The rest of the 15-song first set is more than serviceable, including an outstanding version of Cowboy Joe Babcock’s I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water, and stirring early takes on Deal, Playing in the Band, and Comes a Time.

I’d be remiss if I failed to talk about the second set, namely the Dark Star suite that’s completely void of any verses. Before they can get to the meat of the set though, the band kicks things off with a solid Truckin’ that’s starting to show signs of the jam vehicle it will morph into in the months to come. After a twangy Sugaree and an uptempo Sugar Magnolia, we arrive at the aforementioned Dark Star. The tune opens in the usual fashion. Kreutzmann leads the way, starting on a full kit, floating in orbit until Garcia accelerates forward. The ensemble leans into the song, getting so involved in the jamming that they don't even bother singing a word of either stanza. Whenever you think one's coming, they head for a country song instead. The 27-minute Dark Star sequence ends in a fabulous Sittin’ On Top of the World, played at breakneck speed as was the custom. In time, they opt for the big finish with a hefty Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down the Road > Not Fade Away trilogy. It’s loaded with verve and is just what’s needed to close the books on an exceptional night.

The pre-FM soundboard—stemmed from Merry Prankster Tree #6—is raw, echoey, muffled, and shaky...it is, in short, a goddamned mess. But it’s a beautiful mess, nonetheless. Strap on some headphones and let yourself be won over by this one.

Bob Mathews tape

NRPS set